Tag: songwriting

Go Ahead – Collaborate on a Song

I regularly check through the top songs in the Rock, Country, AC, and Urban genres and, guess what… in all four genres a majority of the hits are collaborations. In the Country genre, in fact, ALL of the top songs are frequently collaborations!

Collaborating (co-writing a song with one or more other songwriters) has so many benefits that it’s worth putting some real effort into learning how to do it and finding compatible songwriting partners to work with. It may take some time, maybe a few false starts, but it can more than repay you in the long run.

REASONS TO COLLABORATE

  • A collaborator can offer new ideas and nudge you out of old habits.
  • If you fall in love with a line that isn’t working, a collaborator can point that out and keep the song moving forward.
  • Working with a collaborator gives you added motivation, energy, and goals to meet.
  • The cost of demoing your song can be half what it would be if you wrote it alone.
  • Chances are you’re stronger in one area (lyrics or music) than another; a collaborator can add strength where you’re weak.
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Respect the Rough Demo

What is a rough demo?

A rough song demo can be as simple as a guitar/vocal or piano/vocal recording made on an iPhone. Or it can be as elaborate as a concept for a complete track with drums, bass, vocal, keyboard, and guitar recorded on multiple tracks. Whether it’s simple or elaborate, to be truly effective it has to convey the essential energy and feel as well as the complete melody, lyric, and chord progression of the song. (See “U.S. Copyright Office” below for demos without chords.)

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Find a Chord Progression

Many songwriters begin their songs by strumming a chord or two. Without really thinking about it, they let the chord progression lead them through the song. If you write that way, though, you may end up spending more time thinking about what chord comes next than your lyrics and melody. You don’t hear listeners talking about how much they LOVE that chord progression. They respond to the lyric and a memorable melody. Chords are low on their list, so why should they be at the top of yours?

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What Is Song Structure?

Most of today’s hit song structures are made up of of three different sections: Verse, Chorus, and Bridge.

CHORUS: The chorus has the same melody AND the same lyric each time we hear it. The lyrics sums up the emotional heart of the song. It’s the section that listeners will  remember and want to hear again and again. Be sure to include your title in your chorus so listeners know what to call your song. The title is often in the first or last line, sometimes both.

VERSE: The verses all have the same melody but different lyrics. A verse takes us deeper into the feelings or situation that created the feelings in the chorus. Because the chorus is repeated three or more times, you can keep it interesting by giving listeners more information in each verse – something that reveals more about the chorus and deepens our feelings or understanding of it.

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Create a Song Path

by Robin Frederick
Does this ever happen to you? In a flash of inspiration, you write a monster first verse. Then you work for hours or days on a chorus until you have something you think might work. Then… nothing. You’re stuck; you have no idea what to write in your second verse or bridge! And now you notice there’s a disconnect between your first verse and the chorus you worked so hard on. Even these two sections aren’t working together.

This happens to every songwriter at one time or another. Sometimes it happens A LOT! So here’s a simple song craft technique that will keep your song on track and ideas flowing: Create a “song path.”

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